In the first ten minutes of Death Stranding, the player controls Sam, a “homo ludens” who has no idea where he is going. Most players die a lot, feel lost, and do not really know what they are supposed to do. It is like falling off a cliff and hoping that BB (the creepy baby doll) will give you a thumbs-up. However, it is different. The creepy plastic baby with spikes gives the game its unsettling vibe, and the viewpoint and atmosphere create a chilling feeling.
Put simply, Death Stranding has some horror-like moments. It was made by Hideo Kojima, who is famous for the Metal Gear series. People have been hoping for him to make a horror game, and with Death Stranding, it is clear he can handle the genre just fine.
However, after P.T., the game hits with an aura of tension and intense boss fights. Kojima definitely knows how to design amazing boss battles. Even if you try to analyze the game in detail, some parts do not make sense, and that adds to the mystery.
Personally, Death Stranding has some rough edges compared to other video games. It’s ambitious and original, with some of Kojima’s best-directed cutscenes. The story is immersive but also dark. Kojima created a beautiful game with an amazing soundtrack and stunning landscapes.
Also, the characters are fun, and some well-known actors and filmmakers, like Nicolas Winding Refn and Guillermo Del Toro, play them. The core gameplay revolutionizes the mechanics, and with over 45 hours of gameplay, there is a lot to experience.
That said, the plot is confusing and convoluted. Kojima’s narrative feels like it is all over the place, even though the premise is great. The pacing could be better, especially early in the game, and there is not much happening in the middle, which makes some of the characters feel pointless and boring.
The core gameplay is too easy and does not evolve much throughout the story, especially with some cringy dialogue. However, the concept of disaster and Kojima’s take on the “homo ludens” makes Death Stranding unique. He is an eccentric genius with an imaginative world and storytelling, but at the same time, he is not the best writer when it comes to crafting a clear narrative.
Despite all the speculation, Metal Gear definitely influenced every part of Kojima’s development. Still, Death Stranding feels like Kojima’s personal creation, a Pandora’s box of his ideas.
Months after its release, Kojima’s Death Stranding has proven to be an era-defining masterpiece. As real-world societies continue to deal with a global pandemic, people find themselves more isolated than ever. In the post-apocalyptic world of Death Stranding, the isolated individualist community is the United States. The player’s mission is to reunite the country by connecting remote settlements to a network service called the Chiral Network.
The Chiral Network not only lets humans communicate but also shares resources among connected users. Essentially, the connection is the game’s central theme, both in terms of the system and the narrative. Kojima’s goal is to weave a thread between more people. In the game, connections always remind the player that they are not alone. Seeing the footprints of other players helps them feel like they are not the only ones in this world. This sense of connection goes beyond the game itself.
You play as Sam Porter Bridges, a courier for the ever-present Bridges company. His job is similar to that of a cable worker or postal service employee. Sam has to travel across North America, delivering packages and connecting people to the Chiral Network. Story-wise, the network lets users send resources from one node to another. Gameplay-wise, the Chiral Network allows the player to share resources with other invisible players.
The gameplay mainly revolves around navigating difficult terrain. Players also build structures that become available to others once they have connected certain areas to the Chiral Network. When players find these shared structures, they can give “Likes” (similar to Instagram or YouTube). Giving Likes is a way for players to interact with each other, making it easier to access each other’s developments and structures in the game.
At its core, Death Stranding is about Sam’s role as a “homo ludens” in the United Cities of America. While uncovering his master role in the supernatural disaster known as Death Stranding, Bridges serves two purposes: shipping cargo and connecting the network.
Sam delivers and transports physical goods between settlements while also repairing and building the infrastructure of the Chiral Network. The system is perfectly suited for Bridges’ demands in the business world. The Chiral Network’s processes help players detect invisible BTs—Beached Things, entities whose stranded souls are stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Tools like BB (Bridge Baby—a fetus taken from a still mother by Bridges operatives) are used to make couriers’ travel safer. The BB is kept in a glass-like structure at the center of the user’s equipment. Through a connected handheld antenna, the BB warns the player about dangerous BTs by pointing at them with a flashing light and a rotating siren. As the story progresses, the player learns that these technological advancements ultimately lead to a catastrophe, making everything profitable and necessary.
The concept behind Death Stranding is a huge leap forward in the design of “homo ludens” (the player as a “player”). Kojima, who invented the stealth game genre with the Metal Gear series, also created something like Death Stranding—a game focused on connection rather than conflict. While most games are about fighting Nazis, aliens, monsters, or psychopaths, it is rare to find a game where the goal is to build and connect people.
Indie games have explored this idea extensively, but it’s rare in AAA games. In most games, the goal of building or connecting is usually tied to combat, whether that’s destroying bases or killing bandits to expand settlements. But in Death Stranding, the focus is on walking (as many people call it, a walking simulator) and is driven by trade, logistics, and a philosophical story.
The game blends fantasy and sci-fi beautifully, and it is a joy to unravel the mystery of what happened to the United States. Kojima’s direction is at its best here—especially with the introduction of Cliff Unger, played by Mads Mikkelsen, or the blackout scene in the game’s opening sequence. It is all done so well, even if it is cheesy.
Reedus, too, brings a lot of subtlety and interesting mannerisms to what could have been a bland, empty protagonist. The way Kojima handles the basic movements might even be more revolutionary than his concept of the strand game. The score, composed by Ludvig Forssell (who worked on Metal Gear Solid V), works perfectly alongside tracks from Low Roar, both contributing to the unique vibe of Death Stranding.
On the Kojima Productions website, Kojima explains that “play” is not just a hobby—it is the foundation of imagination and creation. Homo ludens (those who play) are also homo faber (those who create). If the Earth were stripped of life and turned into a barren desert, human imagination and the desire to create would still survive beyond just surviving.
It gives hope that one day, flowers will bloom again. Through the game’s discovery, a new evolution awaits. In short, Kojima has long admired Huizinga’s thinking, especially the concept of homo ludens, which emphasizes play as a central and defining feature of all human culture. Play is a natural state of humanity, existing prior to society and culture, and is an activity free from obligation.
In essence, play that is forced or structured is no longer real play and can turn into a kind of forced performance. The concept of homo ludens (the human who plays) is a cultural phenomenon, but play itself existed long before culture. When you see a pet playing, it is clear that play happens instinctively, without the need for rules or structure. In that sense, play can be seen as an instinct.
However, the issue arises when you say that play is instinctual because then it starts to feel limited. On the other hand, if play is viewed as will or thought, its meaning becomes much broader. The concept of homo ludens is tied to deus ludens, a depiction of God as a playful or enjoying figure.
Kojima’s comments about homo ludens and Death Stranding were seen as his intent for the game. Basically, Kojima wants to guide players toward a new state, allowing them to embody homo ludens through the game he created. However, the transition of the homo ludens concept in Death Stranding into real life is tricky.
Simply put, the game is all about this idea. Kojima has said that Heartman represents the concept of homo ludens in the game. He described Heartman as a unique character who always serves Bridges. In this vision, Heartman tries to unite people, create culture, and shape the world around him—not through punishment or violence, but through action.
To his credit, Heartman tells Sam that his body is alive, but his soul is stuck in the Beach (a limbo-like place) and has been dead for a long time. In a way, Heartman could represent deus ludens, while Sam is the homo ludens. However, Heartman’s character brings a new, different type of human being into the mix.
The way people understand the world is often shaped by religion or the logic of science, and this leads to concepts like homo religious and homo loquens. The disposition to play could evolve into something new for players if Kojima succeeds in his vision.
On the other hand, Sam’s actions are not just about being controlled by Bridges. Duties and obligations also bind him as an individual and part of a larger organization. Sam’s mission is essential, but his vulnerability in a world full of danger and weakness defines his journey. In simple terms, Death Stranding asks its players to pay attention, learn the system, and internalize how it works. However, how does the free-spirited homo ludens fit into such a harsh system?
Aside from Heartman, homo ludens is also represented by Die-Hardman (played by Tommie Earl Jenkins). In the final scenes of the game, Die-Hardman delivers a speech celebrating the formation of the United Cities of America as its first president.
The appointment is passed down from the boss, Bridges, who dies later in the game. During his speech, McClane dramatically removes the skull mask that defines his character and calls for a new America, one that rises from humanity’s past with courage and strength to embrace the future. In a private conversation with Sam, he regretfully reveals his dangerous role in the unfolding plot.
His feelings leave Sam confused. Was his rise to power the result of divine intervention from Cliff Unger? After admitting that he killed Unger, only to be saved by his ghost, McClane tells Sam he wants to keep being a Die-Hardman. Die-Hardman’s character is a product of the system he operates in.
He represents the kind of character Kojima is trying to deconstruct through Sam’s character. Even McClane, his alter ego, does not fully embody homo ludens. Essentially, he is too stuck in the past, using his history as an excuse to keep existing, no matter the cost.
In the end, the player highlights the liminal space that Sam, as homo ludens, occupies. He exists in a timeless, in-between space that blends spirituality and video games. Caught between the certainty of routine and the thrill of discovery, Death Stranding wraps up its story by ritualizing the gameplay experience.
When players return to the game after completing the story, they are taken through this ritualized experience. Play becomes a ritual and a casual, everyday practice. As humanity’s homo ludens, Sam must leave with a mindset that stays in a state of limited play.
He rejects the structured nature of ritualization. Besides being homo ludens, Sam also plays a cultural role, providing organizing principles. Human understanding does not come from linear development but from imagining problems from different angles. Sam represents a willingness to accept new logic, perspectives, and ideas when trying to connect with the world and the Chiral Network. In simple terms, the famous quote from Fragile (not cringe, but literally in context) sums it up: “I’m Fragile, but not that fragile.”
In an interview with the BBC, Hideo Kojima explained that Death Stranding is a response to everything that’s happened to the image of politicians and their governments around the world, not just in Europe and the United States.
Ironically, the game sometimes feels close to critiquing Trump’s presidency or perhaps another. Kojima’s rallying cry, “Tomorrow is in your hands,” suggests he is pushing for change, but it is clear his continuing interest in America is lost. The game envisions a new, precarious path for democracy, both carefully thought out and fragile.
However, in Kojima’s view, a healthy democracy requires more than just elections. He suggests a fundamental change that encourages deeper engagement with both national and local democratic processes. Death Stranding presents a strange, unique concept of homo ludens that stands out.
However, it is tough to say why people keep questioning whether the game can truly be called a video game or more like a long film. That is why the game has become one of the benchmarks for why arthouse films and video games should not be seen as separate. It is always going to be a new form of art, not just literature or film, but also video games. Every medium has its version of video games, but in the end, they all come to the same conclusion: death.
References
- Forssell, L. (Composer). (2019). Death Stranding [Soundtrack]. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Huizinga, J. (1950). Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. Beacon Press.
- Kojima, H. (2019). Death Stranding Interview with the BBC. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/
- Kojima, H. (Director). (2019). Death Stranding [Video game]. Kojima Productions.
- Reedus, N., Mikkelsen, M., Jenkins, T. E., & Del Toro, G. (2019). Death Stranding [Video game cast]. Kojima Productions.
